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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24101119">Teller of Truth, Shining Light</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/OrangeTabby/pseuds/OrangeTabby'>OrangeTabby</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Coming Home [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>A Song of Ice and Fire &amp; Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Baby Names, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Family Feels, Fluff, Humor, Modern Westeros, Pregnancy, Romance, Sexual References</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 23:53:52</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,825</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24101119</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/OrangeTabby/pseuds/OrangeTabby</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Sansa and Sandor are expecting twin girls, but they need to decide on some names - a task easier said than done. Luckily they have a baby name book to consult....</p>
<p>This story is the fluffiest of fluffy domestic fluff, set about 2 years after the main story line of Coming Home (about 8 years before the epilogue). </p>
<p>Short bios of the characters are included at the start, so you can absolutely read this without having read Coming Home first if you wish to read something short and sweet.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Sandor Clegane/Sansa Stark</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Coming Home [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1738888</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>37</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>143</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Teller of Truth, Shining Light</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Cast of Characters:</p>
<p>Sansa Clegane-Stark:  hugely pregnant with identical twin girls. Her current favourite activity is when Sandor massages her sore, swollen feet every evening. Works at the Winterfell estate wrangling tourists and dealing with upset food suppliers (when they had to deal with her boss Stannis first).</p>
<p>Sandor Clegane-Stark:  grouchy veterinarian. Owns the Winter town Veterinary Clinic and Dog Shelter. One of his favourite possessions is the lumpy portrait of him composed of shells and glitter that Kat made last Father’s Day. It says “Best Step-Dad” along the top. The “Dad” part is in Kat’s messy writing. </p>
<p>Catelyn Clegane-Stark (Kat. Sandor also calls her Kitten):  kindy kid. Intends to be a Fairy Princess Biologist Wolf when she grows up. Is Joffrey’s biological child, but he’s in jail and Kat has no memory of him. She calls Sandor ‘Dodo’ because she wasn’t able to pronounce his name when he came into her life, and the name stuck. </p>
<p>Marigold and Lady:  the family dogs</p>
<p>Stranger:  a large, fluffy black cat. The family belongs to him.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sandor held the front door open with his free hand so Kitten could run inside, red faced and clutching her new book.</p>
<p>“Hi Mumma,” Kat said excitedly. “Dodo got me this! <em>Drogon is the Best Big Brother</em>. I love it so much.”</p>
<p>“Look at this!” said Sansa. She waddled over to them, kissing Sandor on the cheek and taking the book from Kat. She thumbed through the book and smiled. “He’s the best big brother just like you’ll be the best big sister.”</p>
<p>Sandor snorted. It had taken him one minute to locate a baby name book and thirty more for Kitten to examine the entire picture book section. Every time they went to the bookshop it seemed like there were hundreds more of those bloody Dany and the Sparkle Dragons books. They seemed to be trying to corner the market on life skills for kids. Years later and he was still recovering from having to constantly read aloud that book about Rhaegal learning to take a dump in the toilet when they were potty training Kitten. He could still recite the entire text of <em>Rhaegal is the Boss of His Own Poops</em> in his sleep.</p>
<p>Thank fuck the books were aimed at younger kids. He didn’t think he would be able to handle Sparkle Dragons themed books on puberty. Or worse, sex education. No one needed to hear about dragons getting pubes or fucking. He could imagine the titles: <em>Viserion and the Startling Bodily Developments.</em> <em>Drogon and Rhaegal Play Hide the Sausage</em>.</p>
<p>He laughed aloud at that thought. Sansa shot him that look she got when she knew he was thinking about something inappropriate.</p>
<p>Luckily Kat was more distracted by patting Sansa’s belly. She rested her little cheek against her mother. “I wish there were baby dragons in your tummy, Mumma.”</p>
<p>Sandor ruffled Kat’s soft ginger hair. “Too far north for dragons, Kitten, there’s wolves inside your mother.”</p>
<p>Kat giggled. “You’re silly, Dodo. These are definitely my human sisters.”</p>
<p>Kitten ran off to play, with Marigold and Lady rushing to join the fun. Stranger eyed them all, then stalked over to jump on the armrest of the couch.</p>
<p>He followed Sansa over to the couch, rubbing her lower back as she walked. She flopped down and sighed in relief. He sat down beside her, nuzzling behind her perfect ear and down her neck, exactly where she liked to be kissed.</p>
<p>Kitten zoomed around the room with the dogs in pursuit. Luckily for the noise levels in the room, she took a turn down the hallway towards her bedroom. Judging by the shrieks of laughter, they were having fun.</p>
<p>“I had to send the quail egg supplier a gift basket today,” Sansa murmured. “Stannis made him cry when he said the product was inferior.”</p>
<p>“How the fuck did that make the egg supplier cry?” Sandor’s lips brushed the soft skin of her neck as he spoke. “Sounds pretty fucking thin-skinned.”</p>
<p>Sansa tipped her head to the side, so he had better access. “Well it was in the wording. Stannis told him the quail eggs from the last batch were only fit to make into scrambled eggs for a room full of taste impaired toddlers, and then only barely, if you added a soupçon of sharp cheese to cover the flavour.”</p>
<p>Sandor huffed a laugh. “I like that prickly cunt.”</p>
<p>“So do I,” said Sansa with a smile in her voice, “but I still had to send a gift basket. We need those eggs.”</p>
<p>Sandor hummed in agreement and gently nipped her skin.</p>
<p>She moaned quietly. “Kat and the animals will be back any moment.”</p>
<p>Sandor trailed his lips up to the shell of her ear. “Aye,” he whispered, slipping his hand up the curve of her belly to sit under her breasts. “And we were going to read the baby name book before dinner. But later this evening I will give you a long back rub, then lick your cunt and make you come.”</p>
<p>Sansa laughed ruefully and moved her head to their foreheads touched. “I’m not sure which of those sounds better at the moment,” she said. “I never thought the back rub would compete with… that, but here we are.”</p>
<p>Sandor hummed. “Both make you feel good. Both make you relaxed afterwards.”</p>
<p>“I love you,” Sansa said, then moved to kiss him properly.</p>
<p>“I love you too,” he replied when they broke the kiss, Sansa shifting with difficulty to rest her head on his chest. He stroked her hair, tangling the bright, silky strands between his rough fingers.</p>
<p>Ever since Sansa had shown up at work and, blushing heavily, had demanded he service her with his cock, he had been smitten. He’d almost fucked it up because he thought he wasn’t good enough, but she’d made him see sense. He was more fucking lucky than he deserved to be.</p>
<p>She was fucking glorious. Even now, with an enormous belly, stretch marks, a sore back and swollen feet. Especially now, with an enormous belly filled with life, and stretch marks he would follow with his fingertips, a sore back he liked to rub, and swollen feet he could kiss.</p>
<p>She was self-conscious about her expanded waistline, he knew, but he thought she resembled a goddess. He had no use for the gods, bunch of cunts that they were, but Sansa looked like an avatar of the Mother. Every curve of her body glowed with lush fertility.</p>
<p>“I’m here now,” announced Kat, striding back into the room wearing a superhero cape and a flower crown. Marigold and Lady followed her, Marigold with a matching flower crown and Lady had a child’s tool belt around her middle, dropping plastic screwdrivers and drills behind her as she walked.</p>
<p>“Do you want to watch <em>Dany and the Sparkle Dragons Take Kings Landing</em>?” asked Sansa. “And I’ll read your new book to you after dinner.”</p>
<p>Kitten pursed her lips, considering this. “Okay, Mumma. Construction Worker Lady, you sit there and Fairy Queen Marigold, you sit there.” Kat pointed to spots on the ground and the dogs obediently sat. She grabbed the TV remote, positioned herself between them, and accessed the streaming service children’s channel faster and more efficiently than he ever could.</p>
<p>Sansa lumbered to her feet with a groan, saying she’d fetch the baby name book he’d chucked on the dining table when he and Kitten got home. Sandor protested that he was happy get it, but she pointed out she also had to use the bathroom for the millionth time that day. He didn’t have any babies sitting on his bladder, but he sympathised.</p>
<p>He watched as Dany and the Sparkle Bloody Dragons cavorted amongst the ruins of the Red Keep. Sandor would never admit to browsing gossip websites, but he had heard rumours of a schism between members. He’d read that Dany herself was considering a solo career, possibly in thrash metal. He’d never forgive her for the fucking <em>Drogon is the Boss of His Own Poops</em> book, but he could imagine her finding solo success.</p>
<p>Kitten looked over her shoulder as he started humming along with one of the catchy as fuck songs. She grinned happily and blew him a kiss. He pretended to catch it and get knocked back in his seat.</p>
<p>She laughed then. “You’re so silly, Dodo,” she said before turning back to the show. Kat had been concerned he wouldn’t be her dad anymore once the twins arrived. He had tried to reassure her, though he more than knew what it was like to doubt your family. She was as much his kid as the twins, regardless of his lack of involvement in her conception. All he could do was keep proving that to her.</p>
<p>Sansa came through, book in hand. She eased into the seat beside him with a ponderous grace.</p>
<p>“I’ll cook dinner after we do this,” she said.</p>
<p>“I’ll make dinner,” he said, “you put your feet up.”</p>
<p>Sansa hummed a grateful agreement. She fiddled with the book in her hands. “You know the names I like for the girls, Sandor.” Her voice was quiet.</p>
<p>Alys, for his dead mother.</p>
<p>Elinor, for his dead sister.</p>
<p>He sighed. Sansa had made her opinion clear, but it was one fraught with so many memories.</p>
<p>“I know, Little Bird,” he said gently. “We could take a look at the book. See which names we like from the options there.”</p>
<p>Sansa nodded, not pushing the issue. “I’ll open it at random then, let fate decide.” She flicked through the pages and, without looking, jabbed the page with her finger. “How about this name? Gysella. It’s an Iron Islands name meaning ‘one who makes a pledge’.”</p>
<p>“To the fucking drowned god?” he asked. Those Iron Islanders were fucking crazy.</p>
<p>Stranger stirred from his seat when he swore, though luckily it appeared Kitten was too engrossed with her movie and hadn’t noticed. The cat stretched and went back to sleep.</p>
<p>Sansa squinted at the page. “Just says ‘makes a pledge’. It is very region specific, I suppose.”</p>
<p>Sandor pulled his phone out of his pocket and called up the internet browser. “According to heritageofthekraken.com the full meaning is ‘one who takes a pledge to reap the spoils of her enemies, plug their vacant eye sockets with the finest kelp and live eternally in the service of the drowned god.”</p>
<p>“Well,” said Sansa faintly. “Perhaps not that one.” She rubbed her belly absently, as if the name unsettled the twins.</p>
<p>Sandor grunted and slipped his hand under hers, caressing her belly with his thumb. The twins were moving around. It always reminded him of the fetal movements in any large mammal. He didn’t tell Sansa that though, there was zero chance he’d admit to her that the twins kicks and wiggles felt anything but unique.</p>
<p>She’d already made noises about wanting him to fucking deliver the babies, which he’d rapidly quashed. Yes, he had helped plenty of animals give birth. No, he was not qualified for human babies and frankly the idea terrified him.</p>
<p>Sansa looked back at the book, opening it to another random page. “Cynthea-Olene. That sounds like a movie star name. Cynthea means ‘woman of the Riverlands’. Oh I like that, my mother’s family were from there.” Sansa turned to smile at him. “Olene is a Reacher name which means ‘beautiful rose’. That’s so lovely.”</p>
<p>“Cynthea-Olene Clegane-Stark. That’s a fucking lot of hyphens.” Sandor paused briefly, imagining the initials of the name. “Also her initials would spell cocks.”</p>
<p>Sansa looked aghast. “C – O – C – S,” she said. “Oh dear. Well Olene is particularly lovely, we could keep that on its own. Olene for one twin, Cynthea for the other?”</p>
<p>“Olene’s initials would spell ox. O – C – S.”</p>
<p>Sansa sighed. “Maybe not then.”</p>
<p>“Initials are very important,” Sandor said. “Imagine if my middle name had been Emmon, after my grandfather. S – E – C – S.”</p>
<p>Sansa laughed. “Okay, point taken.”</p>
<p>Sandor leaned over to kiss her cheek while she chose another entry. Any excuse to kiss such a beautiful woman.</p>
<p>“Oh I like this one. Zahrina. It’s Meereenese.” Sansa read more of the entry then quietly said, “oh.”</p>
<p>“What’s ‘oh’? Does it mean ‘she who institutes a long history of human misery’?” Sandor asked.</p>
<p>Sansa frowned at him. “Don’t be racist.”</p>
<p>“That’s not racist,” said Sandor. “It’s called Slavers Bay for a reason, Little Bird.”</p>
<p>His wife’s frown lessened slightly. Only slightly. “Anyway no, it means ‘flatulent goat’.”</p>
<p>“I still like it,” said Sandor, archly.</p>
<p>Sansa looked sceptical. “Really?”</p>
<p>“Aye. Flatulent Goat Clegane-Stark, what’s not to like?”</p>
<p>“I read somewhere once that goats, um, passing gas are lucky in Meereen.”</p>
<p>“Lucky farts,” said Sandor speculatively. Sansa gave him a hard look.</p>
<p>“Farts are funny!” said Kat suddenly, jumping up from her seat, causing both dogs to startle. She ran the few steps over to Sandor to give him a high five.</p>
<p>Sansa sighed and gave Sandor the glare that he knew meant she was blaming him for Kat’s opinion. He shrugged in reply.</p>
<p>Kat patted Sansa’s belly affectionately, then settled back down to watch her show.</p>
<p>“What about matching names?” said Sansa flicking through the book rather than choosing a page at random. “Apparently Dorne has a long tradition of twin names. There’s an entire section here of matching Dornish twin names. Nymeria and Nymella. Obella and Obarra.”</p>
<p>“Well we’ve already established O-names are out,” Sandor replied.</p>
<p>“Oh yes, true. Well, Nymeria means ‘warrior Queen’, which I like. Nymella means ‘perfect sunrise cresting over the fragile sand dunes’.” She stared off into the middle distance, her eyes unfocused. He wondered if she was trying to picture the twins in person. He hoped they resembled her. “Those are both nice names,” she said finally.</p>
<p>Sandor grunted. “Nymeria sounds like a dog's name.”</p>
<p>Sansa hummed in response. “Actually I think that’s the name of one of Arya’s wolf pack. I’m sure Arya would appreciate a niece named after a wolf.”</p>
<p>“And Fragile Sand Dune Clegane-Stark,” Sandor said. He imagined Wolf Girl would appreciate wolves as much as humans for nieces, regardless of their names.</p>
<p>Despite herself, Sansa laughed. “Maybe not. Okay, I’ll try again.” She opened another page at random. “What about Khaleesi?”</p>
<p>He’d vaguely heard that one before. “That’s a Dothraki name?”</p>
<p>Sansa nodded. “Yes it means the wife of a tribal chieftain.”</p>
<p>Sandor snorted derisively. “Just the wife? Not a leader in her own right?”</p>
<p>Sansa ran her finger down the entry. “No, the wife.”</p>
<p>“Anyway it’s a title, not a name. What would we call the other twin, Captain? Governor’s Wife? Queen in the North?” said Sandor, warming up to his subject. “No, that’s stupid as shit. Khaleesi sounds like someone who would start a cult then burn people who didn’t obey them.”</p>
<p>Sansa laughed, despite his indignation. “That’s very specific.”</p>
<p>“Well it’s a Dothraki name, so we could stick with the raping and pillaging.”</p>
<p>“Sandor,” she said reproachfully, “you’re being racist again. The Dothraki swore to a life of total pacifism hundreds of years ago. Stannis gets his vegan cheese from a Dothraki family in White Harbour. They hand-press the cheese at midnight, but only by the light of a full moon.”</p>
<p>Sandor blinked. “That’s as stupid as the name Khaleesi.”</p>
<p>Sansa shrugged. “It’s nice cheese. Why don’t I try again?” She flipped the book over a few times and chose an entry.  “How about Will?”</p>
<p>“That’s a boys name,” said Sandor, shaking his head.</p>
<p>“No it’s not. It might be short for Willow. Haven’t you heard of Willow Rivers, natural daughter of Aegon IV Targaryen? She was a famous Septa in the Riverlands, I remember my mother telling me about her when I was little.”</p>
<p>“A Targaryen? Speaking of people who burn other people.”</p>
<p>Sansa rolled her eyes at him. “Anyway, my point is that Will is gender neutral.”</p>
<p>“Well we could call the other twin Bill,” he said lightly. “Or Mill. Milly! They could be Willy and Milly.”</p>
<p>Sansa scowled at him. “You’re not taking this seriously.”</p>
<p>He had experience with the uncertain state of Sansa’s temper during pregnancy and had no wish to make her annoyed. Or emotional. Or angry. “Why don’t you shut your eyes, spin the book around, throw it up in the air, whatever you want, then point to a name at random and I promise I’ll take it seriously.”</p>
<p>Sansa’s scowl eased slightly. “Even if it’s something you think is silly?”</p>
<p>He took her hand and squeezed it. “Unless it’s Khaleesi again, aye. That’s a hard pass.”</p>
<p>To his relief, Sansa laughed. “Yes alright.”</p>
<p>She closed her eyes and flipped the book over several times. On the last flip, she let it land on her belly, then, still with her eyes shut, jabbed her finger onto a random spot.</p>
<p>Sandor looked at the name she was pointing to.</p>
<p>What the fuck.</p>
<p>He didn’t realise he’d spoken aloud until Kat turned to glare at him and say sternly, “That’s a no-no word, Dodo.”</p>
<p>Sansa opened her eyes and gasped when she saw where her finger had landed.</p>
<p>Alys.</p>
<p>“Alys, a Westerlands name. It means ‘teller of truth’. Your mother's name.” She looked at him, eyes luminous with tears.</p>
<p>“Try again for the other twin,” he said, a lump in his own throat.</p>
<p>Sansa repeated her movements again. He looked closely, but her eyes were shut tight.</p>
<p>He wasn’t even fucking surprised where her finger landed this time.</p>
<p>Sansa gasped, though. “Elinor, another Westerlands name. It means ‘shining light’, and it was your sister’s name.” Her voice broke on the last word and tears trickled down her cheeks.</p>
<p>Alys, their teller of truth, and Elinor, their shining light.</p>
<p>Kat looked over her shoulder, jostling Lady who sleepily thumped her tail on the carpet in response. “Those are the names for my sisters,” she said firmly.</p>
<p>Sandor pulled Sansa in for a hug. “Fine,” he said, his own voice unsteady. “Those are perfect names for the twins.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I hope you enjoyed the fluff! I'd love to hear what you thought 😁</p></blockquote></div></div>
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